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Closing Rikers Island Is a Moral Imperative

AnnouncementApril 3, 2017

On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio committed to a long-term plan for closing the jails on Rikers Island. The mayor's historic announcement coincided with the release of the final report of the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform.

Created by New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and chaired by former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, the blue-ribbon Commission has spent the past year developing a blueprint for how to safely reduce the city's jail population. Mark-Viverito and Judge Lippman described this vision in a New York Times op-ed entitled, Closing Rikers Island Is a Moral Imperative.

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